Go Home, Virus Conference Tells Attendees Headed to Boston Event

Organizers of a virus conference in Boston are telling attendees to go home as they switch to a virtual event because of the growing threat of catching Covid-19.

The conference on retroviruses and opportunistic infections, organized by the International Antiviral Society–USA, is still going ahead but not at the city’s Hynes Convention Center as was planned. Instead, all meetings, presentations and panels will be done virtually.

While thousands of researchers from around the world were supposed to be in Boston for the event, scheduled to start Sunday, organizers told the planned attendees in an update Friday not to travel to the city as cases spread globally. There are 13 confirmed and presumptive cases in Massachusetts, the state said Saturday in its most recent update, many linked to a recent gathering of Biogen executives in downtown Boston.